Does anxiety make you feel lonely and isolated? Does not knowing where your anxiety is coming from make these feelings worse?
We want you to know that you’re not alone. There are ways to overcome anxiety, even if it feels like you have no way out.
Anxiety can be tricky to treat because there are so many causes. Many times, it’s not just one cause but many piling up and worsening your symptoms.
It’s likely getting in the way of your relationships, work, goals, and peace. Anxiety can be more than racing thoughts; it can come with a host of uncomfortable symptoms.
What does anxiety look like?
Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness, dread, or fear that can affect you mentally and physically. People with anxiety typically suffer mental symptoms like:
Racing thoughts
Difficulty concentrating
Trouble sleeping
Having a sense of impending danger, doom, or panic
Indecisiveness
Fear of making the wrong decision
Avoidant tendencies
Panic attacks
Physical symptoms can arise, too, including:
Nausea
Fatigue
Headache
Restlessness
Rapid heartbeat
Sweating
Trembling
Dizziness
Not everyone’s anxiety looks the same. You might know someone who suffers from anxiety who has different symptoms than you – this is totally normal.
Living a life with anxiety can keep you from doing things you love, or even need, to do. You might avoid social gatherings, making new friends, and maintaining relationships. Some avoidant behavior might even have serious consequences, like skipping work and school.
It can be hard to make decisions, and you might constantly wonder if you’re making the right choice. This can prevent you from getting things done by their deadline or suck up too much time in your day.
Regardless of how anxiety affects you, there are odds it’s keeping you from living a normal life. How did this happen in the first place?
Where does anxiety come from?
Anxiety can come from a range of environments, situations, or disorders. You might have developed long-term anxiety from:
Trauma. Many people who experience trauma develop anxiety, or even PTSD. Your anxiety might become even worse when exposed to similar stimulus as your trauma, like returning to where it occurred or being exposed to similar situations.
Genetic. Anxiety disorders can run in your family, being passed down from your parents to you.
Excess stress. You don’t have to experience severe trauma to develop anxiety. In today’s busy world, it’s easy to develop anxiety from an overpacked schedule and high-stake responsibilities.
Substance abuse. Drugs and alcohol can cause anxiety, especially when withdrawing.
While this is by no means an exhaustive list of where anxiety stems from, it’s a good place to start when trying to pinpoint where your anxiety comes from. Figuring out where your anxiety comes from can be a powerful first step in conquering it.
How do you treat anxiety?
There’s a lot of different approaches for overcoming anxiety, and you might need to combine tools to find a method effective for you.
Many people take prescriptions to ease their anxiety, which is a good approach for managing your symptoms while you work on conquering your anxiety. Prescriptions, however, don’t heal your anxiety or rework your neural pathways.
Here are some approaches we recommend to overcome anxiety:
Talk therapy. Talking through your problems and learning coping mechanisms can be powerful for easing anxiety. This could be the step you need to move forward.
Acupuncture. This is a powerful tool for regulating your nervous system and finding peace of mind.
Herbal medicine. Certain herbs can calm anxiety by triggering mechanisms such as reducing cortisol and altering brain signal processing.
Reduce your workload. If you’re over doing it in your day to day, it might be time to look at your schedule. Even if you can’t reduce your workload, try to find some time in the day to be mindful and take care of yourself.
At Good Needles, we have a wide range of treatments that can help relieve your anxiety, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, and energy work. If you’re looking for a new technique to feel better, we have just what you need. Schedule an appointment to get your nervous system back on track.
Comments